<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Calling Me Home by eilaolympia</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27553798">Calling Me Home</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/eilaolympia/pseuds/eilaolympia'>eilaolympia</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>percabeth between the pages [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Childhood Friends, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friends to Lovers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 18:29:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>832</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27553798</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/eilaolympia/pseuds/eilaolympia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>My own interpretation of what happened after Percy rescued Annabeth from the sirens.</p>
<p>Part of my series “Percabeth between the pages” - a collection of canon-compliant one shots and short fics about Percy and Annabeth’s relationship throughout the Riordanverse</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>percabeth between the pages [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2013901</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Calling Me Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Thank you to my wonderful beta, Phoebe, yet again :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After I had managed to calm Annabeth down slightly, I swam us up to the surface. She was quiet now as we paddled our way back to the ship we had stolen. Once we had reached the side of the hull, I guided her to make sure she got up the ladder okay before worrying about myself.<br/>
About halfway up the ladder, Annabeth vanished out of my line of sight and onto the deck. Once I reached the top, I scanned the area searching for her in the darkness. Slouched against the mast where she originally had been tied to, Annabeth sat staring at the horizon.<br/>
“Are you okay?” I asked carefully. I chide myself immediately after the fact, knowing the answer to that would likely result in a punch, or at least an insult. Instead, I was shocked by her timid voice.<br/>
“Yeah, thanks.” She didn’t meet my eyes.<br/>
Now that we were above the water, this was the first good look I had of her after her encounter with the sirens. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and she was soaked to the bone. She shivered silently, and pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them.<br/>
I didn’t mention what she saw; I knew it would only make her reluctant to tell me anything ever again. Instead, I slowly made my way over to our supplies and pulled out a blanket. I was lucky enough to have the powers of Poseidon on my side, and dried almost immediately after I climbed aboard. I approached her and sat down, leaning my back against the mast.<br/>
“Annabeth,” I said gently.<br/>
She looked up at me for the first time, which I was grateful for. However I wasn’t grateful for what happened next. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she tried to hold them back.<br/>
“If you want- you don’t have to- but you could- lay down on me.” I held up the blanket.<br/>
I thought she would immediately object, but she just silently nodded and slowly slid down until she was laying beside me, her head in my lap. I did my best to cover her fully with the blanket to ensure she didn’t catch a cold. That was the last thing she needed on this quest.<br/>
Her hair was starting to dry into her perfectly coiled curls, and she shivered once again, reminding me to pull her hair away from her neck and over the blanket. She hummed softly against my leg, sounding like my mum did when she was content.<br/>
Carefully, I continued to smooth the hair off her forehead, playing with the drying ringlets. The repetitive motion calmed even me down; and for a kid with ADHD, that’s saying something.<br/>
“You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to.” I told her, knowing she was still awake.<br/>
“I-I want to, I just-“ She paused and took a breath. “Just I don’t want you to look at me the wrong way.”<br/>
I frowned. “I would never.”<br/>
Her hand travelled up, tentatively touching a spot just above my knee where my jeans had ripped. She traced the frayed edges, and her breathing leveled out.<br/>
“The sirens- they show you your hamartia- your fatal flaw.” Annabeth said softly.<br/>
I thought back to the vision Annabeth saw, her family together, Luke.<br/>
“I didn’t see anything that looked bad.” I told her.<br/>
“That’s it. My flaw is hubris.”<br/>
“The spread?”<br/>
Annabeth managed a laugh, sending a warm vibration through my body. I was glad to hear the sound.<br/>
“That’s hummus, Seaweed Brain.” she paused, her voice softening. “hubris is deadly pride.”<br/>
My brain began to connect the dots. The city- it was designed by Annabeth. Her family pieced back together was her doing too.<br/>
“You want to be the best at what you do,” I said slowly. “Better than anyone else.”<br/>
Her lips quirked upward slightly. “I want to make something permanent. Something that will last the test of time.”<br/>
I found myself thinking about the two of us and our rocky start at a friendship, and how far we’d come in the last year. Despite only knowing her a year, I couldn’t picture a future without her. She seemed like something permanent to me.<br/>
“I think you can do it.” I told her, gaining confidence.<br/>
“I hope. I just want something to stay. you know?”<br/>
“Yeah,” I looked at her. She was staring straight ahead still, her normally determined eyes drooping with exhaustion. “Well, I promise I’m not going anywhere.”<br/>
My fingers were still smoothing the hair out of her face when she sighed again.<br/>
“Thank you, Percy,” She said quietly. “For everything.”<br/>
“Always.” I felt my face grow warm. “Now, try and get some sleep. I’ll keep watch.”<br/>
I focused my attention on the stars above, looking at the constellations Annabeth had taught me last year as I felt her breathing slowly begin to even out.<br/>
Something permanent. I could live with that</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>